The best thing about this film is the production design. The sets and costumes give an amazing picture of the setting-New York in 1918, the early 1930s and 1968. Each shot can be considered a work of art and would be able to pass as a genuine photograph of the time period. The art direction even makes the film itself appear to be made long before 1984. The score by Ennio Morricone is also amazing and perfectly matches the visuals.
The two protagonists, Noodles and Max are both very well written and they develop into completely different people over the course of the story. It's fascinating to watch Noodles reflect on his past life in the 1968 segment, which is interspersed throughout the film. There is also a plot twist revealed at the end which, while not exactly mindblowing, was well foreshadowed and executed. Similarly, the opening segments don't really make sense until a second viewing.
It is a very long film and the camera often lingers on mundane things for a long time, but I personally wasn't bothered by this.
The only thing I would criticize is that the other gang members, Patsy, Cockeye and Dominic are not given much characterization, so the viewer doesn't really develop any connection to them.
Review of Once Upon a Time in America
